【原文】

one final time

“After everything we’ve been through?”

Mikasa tightened her jaw, eyes determinedly fixed on a point behind Annie’s head.

“Don’t,” Mikasa hissed. She adjusted her grip on the cold handle of her blades, not looking at how they were outstretched before her, not seeing the guarded expression ofhurt splayed across the blonde’s features. Mikasa didn’t want to see it.

Annie let out a long, tired sigh, and Mikasa scarcely dared to breathe.

“Mikasa—“ Annie started.

“Don’t,” she repeated, pushing her blades out to just lightly caress the smooth flesh of Annie’s throat. Please, she wanted to add. Please don’t make me do this. Don’t do this to me.

She hated it. Mikasa hated seeing Annie encased in that translucent crystal of hers, so serene, so trapped yet so liberated from everything.

Mikasa stood outside the thick door that closed off Annie from the world. Her fingers rested hesitantly on the cool handle of the door, hand ready to slide off and drop to her side.

Why am I doing this to myself?

She missed how it used to be, when they were all trainees. Petty arguments and late night talks, silent stares and heated touches.

She missed the carefree life of not having to target someone she had never meant to trust so much.

The cold metal knob turned slowly under her grip.

Grey eyes were met with startled blue.

“Mik—“ Annie began, taking a hasty step back from the doorway.

The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes in surprise and, before she even realized it herself, she whipped her blades out from their sheaths. She pointed them at the soft skin at Annie’s neck, trying not to think too hard about anything else.

—-

Annie laughed humorlessly. “Like old times, right, Mikasa?”

A small, choked scoff escaped Mikasa’s lips. “Stop. Stop talking.”

“Are you going to kill me? Cut me down one final time? Mikasa—“

Mikasa moved to slam Annie against the stone wall with her forearm, Annie’s back hitting it with barely a grunt.

She crossed her blades at the base of Annie’s head. “You’re a murderer,” Mikasa spat, trying to convince herself as much as Annie. “You’re a liar. A… a traitor. You killed so many… so many… why?”

And as she took a breath, she realized she was shouting, but couldn’t bring herself to care. The fine edge of her blade started to draw a thin line of blood from Annie’s neck, though steam quickly replaced it. “Why?”

Annie blinked, almost lazily, eyes boring into Mikasa’s skull. She remained silent.

In that moment, Mikasa could only see the girl she’d grown to care for so much and she wanted to wrap her arms around Annie instead of her blades. She wanted to sweep away the hair falling into those blue eyes instead of sweeping away her emotions.

She wanted Annie; she wanted Annie safe, and she wanted Annie with her.

And Annie was something she couldn’t have.

---End---